This invention relates to telephone communications and, more particularly, to placing a telephone call using an email address of the intended call recipient.
Conventional telephone systems include facilities for reaching persons by telephone using a variety of different access methods. A system user may reach a desired call recipient by dialing the recipient""s telephone number or extension directly, by dialing the operator and supplying a name or other identifying information for the recipient, or by using other access methodologies permitting dynamic location of the intended recipient within a telecommunications network. These methods vary in terms of ease of use, specifically with reference to the information that must be supplied by the system user in order to place a call to an intended recipient.
In a typical telephone system, a user must know the telephone number and/or extension number associated with the intended recipient in order to place a call. Alternatively, the user may seek operator assistance in determining the telephone number and/or extension, but additional information may be required (e.g., geographical location of the recipient). The proliferation of geographically-based telephone number directories may reduce the effectiveness of such assistance. Thus, a user may spend a large amount of time and effort locating the correct telephone number or extension associated with an intended recipient.
Thus, there is a need and desire for a telephone service allowing a user to place a telephone call to any intended recipient, regardless of geographic location or business affiliation, using only convenient identifying information. One example of convenient identifying information for a potential call recipient is the email address. A recipient""s email address typically is unique, may be used to locate the recipient anywhere in the world without further operator assistance, and normally is easily-remembered or conveniently accessible to a user wishing to contact the recipient. Therefore, there is a need and desire for a telephone service permitting a user to place a telephone call to any intended recipient using the recipient""s email address to initiate the call.
A method and apparatus for placing a telephone call is provided in which an email address may be used to identify the intended recipient of the call and initiate a telephone connection.
In the method aspects of the invention, an email address is input and transmitted to an email address receiver, for example at a central telephone office or an internet service provider. Using the email address, a telephone number for the intended recipient is determined by accessing a database or series of databases of telephone numbers associated with each email address. The email address/telephone number database may be provided by a telephone service provider (TSP) or by an internet service provider (ISP), or both. The telephone number thus determined is dialed to connect the user with the intended recipient.
In the apparatus aspects of the invention, an input device, for example a computer or a telephone, may be used to input an email address of an intended recipient of a telephone call. The input device may include specialized hardware and/or software, for example devices that perform frequency shift key signaling, for transmitting the email address to an email address receiver at a telephone service provider (TSP) or internet service provider (ISP). At the ISP or TSP, a database or series of databases is used to determine at least one telephone number associated with the transmitted email address and establish a telephone connection to the intended recipient.